


Ice

by yukiawison



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-31
Updated: 2014-10-31
Packaged: 2018-02-23 10:12:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2543777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yukiawison/pseuds/yukiawison
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Enjolras doesn't like it when it gets cold out. Something about the ice coating the side walk puts him on edge.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ice

“Unless anyone else has anything to add we’re done for the evening,” Enjolras said, scanning his list once more before turning his eyes to the rest of the group. He glanced in my direction, expecting some kind of snarky comment now that he’d given anyone who wanted to the permission to speak. I merely smirked and reached for the bottle that wasn’t there. I hadn’t had anything tonight. His stinging words when I’d drunkenly interrupted last meeting hadn’t yet worn off

“Um…”

“Yes Marius?”

“It’s pretty icy out there. I was just going to tell everyone to be safe. I’ve got a few extra seats in my car if anyone needs a ride,” Marius added, turning to the window. The snow was blowing forcefully and the sidewalks were sheets of ice.  
“Yeah, it’s pretty bad,” Courfeyrac agreed, pulling on his gloves.

Enjolras froze, eyes wide and face pale. It was only for a second or two, and most everyone was too busy looking out the window to notice. I saw. He only froze like that when he was really scared. Like when Courf got caught up in a fight at one of the rallies. I glanced out the window. It was just some bad weather.

“Yes, be very careful everyone. And don’t forget to write something for the letter writing campaign. I’ll take the submissions next meeting,” Enjolras said after a beat, shaking his golden hair as if to clear his thoughts. His hands trembled slightly as he lowered them to his sides, still clutching the paper. Everyone reached for their coats, chattering about rides and the content of the meeting.

Enjolras was saying something to Combeferre, worry in his eyes. “I’m fine Enjolras, I’m riding with Marius,” I heard him reply. The leader nodded, his shoulders slumping back into their usual relaxed position.

I slipped through the Musain, to the chair Enjolras had laid his coat on, snatching it up before the blonde could notice. “Here you are Apollo,” I teased, handing the other man his coat and bowing dramatically. The café was mostly empty now, and Enjolras took the red jacket from my hands with a sigh.

“A thank you might be nice,” I grinned in an attempt to lighten the mood. “You owe me two actually, one for the coat and one for the fact that I didn’t interrupt the meeting once.” I scanned his face for some sign of his usual annoyed amusement but he only looked past me out the window.

“Hey, you alright?” I asked softly. “You don’t look so…”

“I’m fine R,” He cut in, slipping on his coat and pushing past me.

“If you say so,” I grumbled, collecting my own belongings, wrapping my scarf around my neck, and shoving my hands in my pockets. We were both walking, although in different directions, and I’d forgotten my gloves. “Just great,” I muttered, before following Enjolras out the door.

We weren’t two steps into the cold street when he slipped, gasp audible and arms flailing wildly, the normally composed revolutionary tripped, falling forward briefly before my arms were around his waist.

“Whoa, careful Enj,” his hair was in my face, and I flushed red. “Go slow okay?”

He was quiet, but trembled in my arms. “S-sorry,” He stuttered finally. I let him go and the wind blew his precariously placed hat onto the ice. He didn’t notice, inching forward before reaching back to grab my hand.

“Enj?”

“I’m fine!” He snapped, but he didn’t let go, his hands still shaking. He planted his boot solidly in front of him and took a few steps, releasing his tight grip on me, when he reached a less icy part of the sidewalk he turned to look back, face white as a sheet despite the cold to flush his cheeks. “Thank you, but I’m alright.” His shaking knees told a different story.

“You’re afraid of ice aren’t you,” I called through the wind. It was the wrong thing to say.

“I’m not afraid of any…” He lunged toward me like he usually did when fiercely arguing a point, but slipped again, face falling into my chest. I grabbed his shoulders, straightening him until we were nose to nose, his eyes wide with fright. “Yeah,” he whispered. “I don’t do well with ice.”

My hands were warm despite their lack of gloves. “I’ll walk you home.” He shook his head, but clung to my side as I bent down to get his hat. “Don’t worry, it’s not far.” He nodded.

I led the way, warning Enjolras about the icier patches of the path. “I’m used to falling down,” I said after a while. “Excessive drinking and slippery surfaces don’t really go together,” I laughed lightly. I was going to say something about the fact that I’d dabbled a bit in figure skating but I was afraid he might laugh at me.

“You’re sober now,” he said. His eyes were glued to the ice and his voice shook. “I noticed. Sorry I yelled at you last meeting,” He looked over at me, fear gone for a moment. “I didn’t mean what I…” His feet slipped again.

“It’s okay. Just keep your eyes on the ground for now,” He gripped my hand tighter and my heart pounded hard in my chest.

“You weren’t wrong,” I said softly. “You don’t have to apologize.”

“Yes I do. You’re a good friend R and I have no right to be cruel.” Maybe it was because that was the closest thing to a compliment I’d ever gotten from Enjolras or maybe it was the particularly slippery section of ice, but I lost my balance and my hand slipped from his.

“Shit!” My knee slammed against the icy concrete, hot pain pulsing through it.

“Grantaire! Are you alright?”

I didn’t answer, my vision blurred for a moment as my knee throbbed painfully.

“Grantaire?” He started hyperventilating. “I can’t do this again, I just can’t I…”

“Hey, Apollo I’m fine.” He helped me up and wrapped his arms around me.

“It’s alright, hey it’s alright. I’m fine Enj…” He shook more than ever now. “Enj are you crying?”

“Shut up,” he choked, “I was scared. It was just like when Combeferre,” He stopped.

“When Combeferre what?”

“Nothing, it’s nothing. Come on we’re almost there.”

I leaned on him more than he had been leaning on me the last block, my knee still burning.

“This is it right?” I asked, panting in front of what I presumed to be his flat. He nodded, eyeing the steep, frozen steps. “Here,” I got behind him and gripped his waist tightly.

“Is your knee alright?” He muttered.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Now go slow Apollo, I’ve got you.” I gripped his waist even tighter as he climbed. My heart was beating almost spastically now, and my knee was so sore I felt dizzy. “Two more steps,” I breathed. He pulled the key out of his pocket and I leaned my head on his back. I closed my eyes, suddenly exhausted.

The door opened and he stepped in too quickly. He tripped in the landing, bringing me down with him.

“Ow,” I was smashed against him, and he was smashed against the floor.

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” He replied, voice shaking. I tried to get up. I couldn’t bend my knee.

“Shit, I can’t get up.”

“What?”

“My knee won’t bend, I can’t get up. My leg’s dead weight.”

“I’ll try to flip over,” He replied. I pulled my arms out from under his chest and tried my best to push myself up. He shimmied against me, rolling over and forcing blood to rise in my cheeks.

“You okay?” He was breathing hard now, face close to mine. I nodded. We stared at each other for a moment. He leaned forward and I screamed internally.

“Enj…” He pushed me up. I helped him, clinging to his shoulders and using my good leg to support myself. He helped me to the couch.

“I’ll get you some ice,” he pulled off his hat to reveal a messy tangle of hair. I smiled despite the throbbing of my knee and beating of my heart.

“I’m sorry, that was pretty awkward,” I called once he was in the kitchen and out of view.

“It wasn’t that awkward,” he mumbled. He came back out. “Let me see your knee.” I rolled up my pant leg gingerly to reveal a large purplish bruise.

“R, oh my god!

“It’s not that bad,” he sat on the floor and pressed the ice to the bruise lightly. I winced.

“So what was that about Combeferre?”

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing, you about started crying.”

“Um,” He looked down. “In high school we were walking out of the school and the ground was really icy. Combeferre slipped and hit his head. He was knocked unconscious and I had to call an ambulance. He didn’t wake up for a while. He was fine once he did, they gave him stiches and he had a concussion but he was back at school within a week. I was really scared though. I didn’t know what I’d do if he didn’t wake up. I thought I might lose my best friend."

He looked up. “That’s why ice scares me. I don’t want something like that to happen again.”

“I’m fine Enjolras, I’m sorry I scared you.”

“It’s not your fault. I’m just paranoid. I don’t want to see my friends hurt.”

“Friends?”

He looked at me with confusion. “Yeah friends, we’re friends right? You always look surprised when I say it.”

“I didn’t know I meant anything to you.”

His blue eyes narrowed. “Of course you mean something to me. How could you think I don’t…?”

“It’s okay Enj you don’t have to…”

“I do care about you,” He said softly. “Don’t think otherwise.” We were quiet for a moment.

“I should get going,” I said before the awkward silence could stretch any further. I braced myself for the pain as I got up. I wasn’t in the best condition to walk home but I didn’t want him to worry.

“Hey, you’re not walking home like that,” He said, pushing me back down. “It’s dark and you’re hurt. Don’t even think about it. You’re taking the couch. I’ll get you a pillow.”

I opened my mouth to protest but my knee started to ache again and I thought better of it. He came back out with a pillow and some blanket and gave me some spare pajamas that only kind of fit me because he’s so tiny.

He let his hair down and brushed it with his fingers, yawning at me. “Goodnight R,” He smiled sleepily.

“Goodnight Enjolras,” I muttered, the fact that the revolutionary would be sleeping just a room away made me crazy nervous, and when the lights went out I just stared at the ceiling.

What if I sleep talk about him or something? I closed my eyes, trying not to hear my own heartbeat. Oh god what if it’s beating so loud he can hear it? But exhaustion soon got the better of me and I started to drift off.

“R? Grantaire are you awake?”

I blinked the sleep from my eyes and peered at him in the darkness. “I am now.”

“I…um,” He sounded scared. I sat up and saw his pale frightened face again.

“What’s wrong?”

“I had a nightmare that you were in the hospital and you weren’t waking up,” He choked. “I was afraid it might be real so I came to check on you.”

“It wasn’t real Enj, are you okay?” He pulled at the hem of his shirt with embarrassment.

“Yes, but could you come to my room? I’ll be less afraid if I know you’re alright and…god I sound like I’m four years old. I’m sorry, you don’t have to…”

“No,” I got up. “No, I’ll come to your room. I get nightmares too sometimes. I know how that is.”

“Okay,” His eyes widened. “If it’s alright with you,” I nodded.

“Let’s not tell the others though,” I whispered with a small smile. I wouldn’t hear the end of it if Courfeyrac found out about this.

“Thanks,” He made space for me and pulled the covers over the both of us. By the time the weird tingling sensation left my limbs Enj was fast asleep. He rolled closer to me and slung an arm over my chest. He opened one eye and smiled, only half asleep. If you want to tell him now’s the time. He won’t remember tomorrow if you tell him now.

“Can I tell you a secret?”

“Hmm?”

“I’ve got a really big crush on you. I thought you never got scared, or fell down, or had nightmares. Now that I know you’re not perfect…I think I love you.”

“I thought you’d think less of me.”

“Never, I’m glad you’re human.” Then he was asleep, clinging to me and snoring softly.

****

“Did we have a conversation last night? After you got in my bed?” His face was flushed and his hair was tangled and falling in his eyes.

“I don’t remember,” I lied, taking a sip of coffee.

He frowned. “Must’ve been a dream.”

I glanced out the window. The ice was melted, gone like last night’s events.

You didn’t want him to remember right?

****

“Where is he? He’s never been this late,” Courfeyrac checked his watch.

I glanced out at the frozen street. Great…

“I’ll go get him,” I said, taking a swig from my bottle and heading for the door.

I banged on the door, my hands freezing without my gloves.

“R,” He smiled sheepishly. “You remembered.”

“Of course I remembered. I’m here to walk you to the meeting. You could’ve called me earlier.”

“I wanted to see what you’d do,” He replied. “You remembered, and I remembered.”

“Remembered what?” I said, shuffling my feet in an attempt to fight off the cold.

“What you said,” He pulled me inside and kissed me. He pressed his lips to mine and I know it sounds corny but I swear I saw fireworks. “What do you think?”

“I love you,” I kissed him back. “And I’m freezing out here let me in,” I grinned.

Thank god for the ice.


End file.
